The Bucket List (Fairy Tail - NaLu Short Story)

Chapter 5

"Sink me in the river ..."

~~~

Unfortunately, the nearest skydive was not in Magnolia. More unfortunately for Natsu, it was a short train ride away; i.e. four and a half hours of torture away.

After dumping Lucy ceremoniously on a cushioned bench beside the window in a back compartment - Natsu had paid slightly extra for a more luxurious compartment, unbeknown to his partners - he flopped himself down next to her. Happy followed them in and squashed himself on the seat between the both of them, quite content.

'Ugh,' Natsu groaned, leaning forward with his elbows slack on his knees.

Lucy rolled her eyes, 'Come on, Natsu, the train hasn't even started moving yet.'

'Aye!' Happy agreed happily. 'You're pathetic, Natsu!'

The dragon slayer looked up, bloated cheeks filled with bile he fought to hold back. Happy giggled and took flight, dancing away easily and landing over by the window sill. Natsu raised a shaking hand and lashed out weakly, trying to swat the cheeky exceed away, but misjudged and toppled over onto the lap of the stellar mage.

Lucy yelped, 'Hey!'

'Fufufu,' Happy chortled, placing his paws over his mouth and narrowing his eyes. 'You liiiiiiiiiike each other.'

'Happy!' Lucy snapped.

Natsu didn't say a word; he was too busy keeping his stomach down. Despite the insistent teasing of the azure exceed, Lucy wasn't able to pull him up again and Natsu wasn't likely to move, so they stayed that way. Unable to sit up properly and grab the ungrateful kitten by the tail, Lucy settled for huffing gruffly and crossing her arms. Her legs hung over the sides of the bench like those of a lifeless doll.

'Wish I had wings like you, Happy,' Lucy piped up suddenly, daydreaming as she peered out at the unmoving station beyond the glass pane of the window. 'Then it wouldn't matter if I couldn't walk; I could just fly.'

Happy stopped laughing shortly and dropped his arms. He turned to look at her with the most serious face the exceed could muster, 'I don't want you to have wings, Lushee.'

The blonde blinked, 'Why not?'

Happy jumped off the window sill and landed on her lap. His mouth set in a frown, he sat down, looking up into her face. Lucy noticed the soft feel of his fur in a way she never had before and felt tears prick once again behind her eyelids.

'Because,' the cat replied, 'if you had wings, you wouldn't be Lushee. Lushee is Lushee, and I don't want you to change.'

Lucy smiled, a watery quality causing her lips to waver in a good way, 'Thank you ... Happy.'

Happy sniffed and grinned in return, 'Anytime, Lushee!'

The train started to move. Lucy jerked forward suddenly, unable to keep her balance, and Happy bounced off her lap. The two Fairy Tailers hit the ground, one after the other, the small blue cat stuck firmly underneath Lucy's oversized bust. He squirmed uncomfortably and flailed around, yelling for air.

The stellar mage felt the oxygen leave her lungs in a single burst, liquid racing up her lungs and painting the walls of her throat with the taste of blood. Barely holding down her innards, Lucy moaned long and painfully. Finally she managed to swallow.

'L-Lushee!'

'I'm sorry, Happy,' Lucy apologised genuinely in a wheeze, grimacing as she tried desperately to raise herself off the ground, to no avail. 'I just can't ... move.'